Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-02-10

to the fact that there is solid pros-
perity in this section, and that what
they term q "boom" is nothing more
nor less than a marvellous advance In
the price of our lands, based upon
the fact that there is positive and
increasing demand for them. Mr..
William H. Mills, who has been here
to examine our situation with the eye
Of an expert, has been interviewed by
Bulletin reporter, who gives this
account OF it:
The tide of immigration to the
southern region OF California con-
tinues to flow with the volume in
creasing instead of diminishing. W..
II. Mills, the Land Officer OF the
southern Pacific Railroad Company,
returned with his family last evening
from a fortnight's sojourn in Los An
geles. He asserts that the stories
regarding the high prices OF rea!
estate and the great increasing OF
permanent residents are not over
colored. In fact the whole truth has
not been told. 1t seems marvellous
that land ordinarily situated will sell
for $1250 per acre, when one with
half an eye can see that it has no
productive capacity to justify the in-
vestment, but the purchaser says he
wants the piece OF land and, being
able to pay for it, buys it. To any
criticism about the business sagacity
of the investment he replies: "If
YOU want your portrait painted by a
good artist, the cost may exceed
$1,000, but you do not expect 6 per
cent. interest from the picture. A
man that spends $l.000,0 900 for a
mansion OH Mob Hill in San Fran
cisco does not expect to get the in
terest on the money invested" The
same rule applies to the purchase OF
land in the southern country. If the
newcomer wants home around
which will grow orange groves, palm
and pepper trees and the place suits
him, he will buy it, not for an invest
ment, but q place to live and rest
where his kinsfolk and treasures in
art and literature may surround him.
Mr.. Mills says the quality and Pc
culiar aspects OF the immigration
have no precedent in the settlement
of countries. 1t is an immigration
bearing civilization = not pioneers
ready to engage in toll and combat
the obstacles of nature 10 build and
beautify homes, but the coming in
unprecedented numbers of well-to-do
and rich families to place where at
least one-half the year can be passed
without exposure to the peril OF a
cold climate.
Mr.. Mills has, of course, only adj
dressed himself TO the dilletdnti as
pect of our region. He has not
looked deeply into that feature OF our
prosperity which is based upon the
high values Of our lands because OF
their rich and prodigious productions.
If we were to point out to him forty
acre orchards and forty-acre vine
Yards, of which there are hundreds
and hundreds, brought to bearing by
the industry OF men who came here
few years ago, and should show
him that the average profit from
these improved places was equal to
800 per acre, he might then admit
that $3.50 per acre was not an extrav-
agantly high figure for lands capable
OF producing such results. However
as Mr.. Mills is presumed to be the
author of the map which designates
this whole region by the term o
Barren Lands" we shall expect te
find him slow in admitting that ouI
soil is bought for anything but it's es-
thetic possibilities and its Senatorial
situation and climate.